Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory

南塞拉临界带观测站（SSCZO）正在研究山区土壤和风化层的特性如何在地质时期发展，以及与短期气候变化和生态系统行为的相互作用。这种理解被用来预测环境变化，包括人类干扰、火灾、害虫和气候变化如何影响水资源、物质流动和森林健康。我们正在开拓低成本，精确的测量系统，并使用测量来驱动先进的地球系统建模预测。我们与区域利益攸关方密切合作，利用我们的成果评估资源管理者在环境变化的情况下加强森林、水和其他生态系统服务管理的现有选择。SSCZO也是一个社区平台，用于研究本地和更广泛的CZO国家网络的关键区域（CZ）过程。它位于一个陡峭的海拔样带上，降水从以雨为主到以雪为主，生态系统从橡树草原生物群落到亚高山森林。CZ性质和过程的空间梯度允许空间代替时间，使SSCZO成为研究CZ如何响应干扰以及水循环如何驱动CZ过程的优秀自然实验室。SSCZO研究包括来自6个校区的核心SSCZO团队，以及来自其他机构的合作者和合作者，他们在研究中使用SSCZO的数据和其他资源。SSCZO资源包括4个焦点站点，跨越海拔3000米的范围，具有气候，风化层性质，土壤，植被和物质循环的梯度。测量是密集而详细的，包括4个通量塔，气象站，土壤溶渗仪，地下水井，以及1000多个连续传感器，用于雪深，土壤湿度，溪流流量，水质和液流。SSCZO为研究对社会至关重要的景观提供了一个平台，但人们对其对气候变暖的潜在反应知之甚少。气候变化和土地利用实践的双重威胁对半干旱的美国西部地区CZ服务的可持续性提出了根本性的问题，这些服务在很大程度上依赖于季节性积雪覆盖的山脉。内华达山脉提供了生态系统服务，从水到生物多样性，为加州乃至全国的大部分人口提供了服务。SSCZO与联邦、州和地方资源管理机构的合作表明，决策者对使用研究成果和SSCZO技术来提高预测能力很感兴趣。SSCZO将提供数据和课程，以提高数千名初高中学生、一些本科生和公众的科学体验。

The Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO) is investigating how mountain soil and regolith properties develop over geologic time, and interact with shorter-term climate variability and ecosystem behavior. This understanding is used to predict how environmental change, including human disturbances, fire, pests and changes in climate influence water resources, material flows and forest health. We are pioneering low-cost, accurate measurement systems and use of the measurements to drive advanced earth systems modeling for predictions. We work closely with regional stakeholders and use our results to assess options available to resource managers to enhance management of forests, water and other ecosystem services, given environmental change.The SSCZO is also a community platform for research on critical-zone (CZ) processes, both locally and as part of the broader CZO national network. It lies along a steep elevation transect where precipitation grades from dominantly rain to dominantly snow and ecosystems range from oak savannah biomes to subalpine forests. Spatial gradients in CZ properties and processes permit substitution of space for time, making the SSCZO an excellent natural laboratory for studying how the CZ responds to disturbance and how the water cycle drives CZ processes. SSCZO research involves a core SSCZO team from 6 campuses, plus collaborators and cooperators from other institutions who use SSCZO data and other resources in their research. SSCZO resources include 4 focal sites spanning a 3000-meter elevation range with gradients in climate, regolith properties, soils, vegetation and material cycles. Measurements are intensive and detailed, including 4 flux towers, meteorological stations, soil lysimeters, groundwater wells, and over 1000 continuous sensors for snow depth, soil moisture, streamflow, water quality and sap flow.The SSCZO provides a platform for research in a landscape with vital importance to society, yet poorly understood in its potential response to climate warming. The twin threats of a changing climate and land-use practices raise fundamental questions about the sustainability of CZ services in the semi-arid U.S. West, which depends heavily on seasonally snow-covered mountains for many of these services. The Sierra Nevada provides ecosystem services, ranging from water to biodiversity, to a large fraction of California's and thus the nation's population. SSCZO partnerships with federal, state, and local resource-management agencies show the interest that decision makers have in using both research results and SSCZO technology to improve predictive capabilities. SSCZO will provide data and lessons to enhance the science experience of thousands of middle- and high-school students, several undergraduate students and the public.